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SOUTH BURLINGTON - City Council agreed late Monday evening to discuss measures to allow South Burlington to become a sanctuary city. No date was set for the future agenda item.

Burlington City Council approved a resolution last month to create a committee tasked with recommending policies "to ensure Burlington is welcoming and inclusive for immigrants."

In sanctuary cities like New York City, Denver and Minneapolis officials have vowed to resist federal immigration laws and limit city employees and police from inquiring about immigration status.

According to the Denver Post, law enforcement officials will continue to "leave immigration enforcement to federal agents. Oftentimes this means complying with requests to detain suspects who are believed to have violated U.S. immigration law."

In South Burlington, 10 percent of the population of the city was born outside the United States and 90 percent of residents are white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Chairwoman Helen Riehle added the sanctuary item and introduced the discussion with caution.

"I have a number of questions. We should know what that means; what the consequences are — the legal part. How our police force deals with it now and feels about it," Riehle said.

Councilors added financial ramifications and the legal costs to the topics to be addressed before a vote.

Councilor Pat Nowak was the only councilor who spoke against further discussion. She thought the agenda item had been instigated by an email sent by former South Burlington Chairwoman Rosanne Greco.

"One person is driving the agenda, when we have budgets, and the airport piece and a number of items that we need to get done first," Nowak said.

Councilors Meaghan Emery and Tim Barritt both confirmed the idea for sanctuary status had come from multiple sources including the University of Vermont where Emery is a professor.

Nowak then asked that the issue be addressed in February. Councilor Thomas Chittenden thought the final decision should be determined by public referendum. Emery asked that Riehle add the item for discussion whenever the police chief was available to participate.

This story was first posted online on Dec. 6, 2016. Contact Nicole Higgins DeSmet ndesmet@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1845. Follow her on Twitter @NicoleHDeSmet.

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